The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

This final installment of the forbidden love story in the popular Halo trilogy stands on its own well, with only a few references to events in previous books.

Bethany, an angel, fell in love with handsome Xavier, a human with turquoise eyes, back in the first book. At the beginning of this volume they marry, thereby incurring the wrath of Heaven or, at least, the wrath of a faction of warrior angels called the Sevens. The couple goes into hiding, protected by Bethany’s brother, the archangel Gabriel, and her sister Ivy. The Sevens stay on the hunt, however, until Bethany and Xavier find themselves compelled to make a desperate bargain that leads to their possibly eternal separation. What will Bethany have to do to reunite with Xavier? Adornetto writes from a staunchly Christian viewpoint, stopping frequently to discuss fairly standard Christian doctrine. Her prose flows along quickly despite this, but the plot seems hastily thrown together, leaving some minor but noticeable holes. Most egregiously, late in the book readers learn a crucial fact about Xavier that may change everything, but the story never again refers to that point. Although major characters come across as standard-issue romance heroes, a few of the minor characters stand out, such as rakish archangel Raphael.

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